I'm a native New Yorker, a graduate of Johns Hopkins, and the founder of the THE SHOOTING GALLERY, the first Independent Studio. I also founded FILM MOVEMENT, a New York-based company enabling a national audience of film enthusiasts the ability to participate on a first-run basis, no matter where they live.

At 24, I founded The Shooting Gallery (TSG) where I took part in the production of roughly 100 films, commercials and music videos including the Academy Award winning film "Sling Blade," and the Academy Award nominated film "You Can Count on Me." We made industry history when Thornton's "Sling Blade" was purchased by Miramax for a price that broke all previous sale records in independent film.

Aside from the success of "Sling Blade" and "You Can Count On Me," I received the 1998 Crain's Small Business Award and the 1999 Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award in New York, and most recently received "The Maverick Award" at the 10th Annual Choltrudis Society Awards in Boston, MA. I currently serve on the board of the New York Production Council.

This year I created a new production company, NEHST, which makes the process of participating in, creating, and distributing content more accessible. We have a large tax-based fund, and are actively looking for new talent and content, and are looking in any and all venues to find it.

We are currently working on several projects. One of the first is www.screentest.biz, which is a casting site for only fully funded greenlit films. Screentest.biz offers everyone the opportunity, regardless of connections or experience to have the chance to audition for feature films, television series, and other media.

One of our first projects is "Priceless," a short film by an extremely talented new director Matthew Thomas. For more information about this project you can visit screentest.biz, myspace.com/mf1000, and www.mf3000.com.

Another project we are casting and funding is CookU (cooku.tv and www.myspace.com/cooku_tv), which is a cooking show for college students, to teach them to cook cheap healthy food. The show is set in a comedic college environment. The creator of this show was discovered at another project of ours, The Aspiring Filmmakers Boot Camp.

The Aspiring Filmmakers Boot Camp (www.filmboot.com) is for writers, directors, producers, actors, musicians, and anyone who is interested in pursuing a career in film. The weekend seminar teaches participants all the ins and outs of the industry, and at the end of the weekend offers them the opportunity to pitch their idea to a panel of industry experts, who are looking to produce new ideas. For those who are not able to attend one of our bootcamps, but have a great idea they want heard, go to pitchnehst.com, and submit your idea through mail.
There are lots of opportunities for people interested in all areas of filmmaking, and I am open to talk to anyone who is looking for advice or a start.